The Security Culture of a Global and Multileveled Cybersecurity

By Zenonas Tziarras

This paper seeks to argue for the development of a global and multileveled
management of cybersecurity. To do so we fi rst defi ne cybersecurity by situating
it within the broader framework of the changing concept of security. To this
end we look at the evolution of the security concept, mainly since the end of the
Cold War, and its relationship to cybersecurity in today’s global affairs. Then we
identify the referent object of security, the importance of cyberthreats, and the need
for a multileveled management of cybersecurity and cyberthreats. For such a management
to be possible and effective, this paper argues that the development of a
security culture of multileveled cybersecurity is necessary. To demonstrate how that
could happen policy-wise, we briefl y look at the current state of international cooperation
on cybersecurity and put forward the idea of a framework of multileveled
and global cooperation based on a strategy aiming at developing a global security
culture of cybersecurity. Moreover, it is suggested that the development of this security
culture should be gradual, based on horizontal and vertical multileveled cooperation,
by starting with “low-politics” or non-politically sensitive cybersecurity
matters. Such a multileveled framework of cybersecurity, with successful communication
lines on and between all levels, may even provide a good platform for
cooperation in other domains as well.